The Reach to my bars is too long. Or is it?
I always start my bike fits with a conversation about what the cyclist wants out of their bike fit session, their cycling aspirations and any points of discomfort, aches pains or other niggles they feel whilst cycling. A very common issue many people mention is that they feel that the reach is too long on their bike, i.e. the bars are too far away from the saddle. A lot of customers have already tried to rectify this by making a few changes. Things I often see are handlebars rolled back so that the extensions and shifters are angled up and are no longer flat, saddles pushed all the way forward on the rails, shorter, and/or adjustable rise stems lifted all the way up perhaps with a steerer extender as well.
Rule #1 Get a bike fit before buying a bike.
To understand why they might be having a problem I consider a few things. First off, is the bike they have the right size for them? If it’s a new bike, most customers have looked at the manufacturers website and checked that their height and inseam measurements fall within the manufacturer’s recommendations. Something to bear in mind here is that a lot of males over state their height which can immediately cause a problem. I don’t find this to be the case so much with females, if anything they under state their height. It’s always best to have somebody check your height before purchasing a new bike based solely off this metric and remember to take your Cuban heels off first. Height and inseam measurements might tell you if you’re in line with the bike designers thinking but not whether your flexibility, injury history, core strength and weight will make the bike comfortable for you. Get a bike fit upfront instead.
Rule#2 Be honest about what your needs are.
Next, is the bike the right type of bike for the riding style the customer is using it for. This is where the marketeers are in part to blame. It’s a fast aerodynamic bike for racing but is also comfortable for long days in the saddle too. Hmmmm, all things to everyone!
There is a reason that race bikes are long and low. Racers generate high levels of power that puts them in a different position to a less powerful recreational cyclist. Also, racers are concerned with aerodynamic drag, so longer, lower positions generally improve that too. Finally, the professional racers using these UCI approved (clue) race bike frames are young athletes who make their living racing bikes so spend a lot of time undertaking additional strength, conditioning and flexibility routines. Does that sound like you, can you touch your toes and hold a plank for over a minute easily?
Rule#3 Check whether you are balanced on the bike.
Finally, is the bike set up correctly for the cyclist? An appropriate size and type of bike can still feel too long if key positional settings aren’t in the right place. We’re talking cleat position, saddle position, stem and bar position. As I mentioned earlier, one of the most common things that I see is the saddle pushed forward on the rails. A lot of the time customers who say that their reach is too long are confusing the feeling of falling forward and putting too much weight on their hands. They lock their arms out like pit props to support themselves on the bar.
Now keep an open mind here, start with a level saddle and push the saddle back and find a better point of balance where you’re not falling forward. Your hands will feel lighter and you can therefore extend them more easily, reaching out further. The arms are for steering duties and absorbing potholes, not for holding you up. When I say push your saddle back, I don’t mean go from one extreme to the other either. Incrementally move the saddle back only 2-3mm at a time and see whether it becomes easier to hover your hands above the bar. When you find a nice balance point that’s when you want your hands to naturally fall into position on the bars. This position can then be tailored with stem length or bar extension length to make your cycling experience comfortable.
Thank you for reading our latest blog, The Reach to my bars is too long. Or is it? If you have any question please Get In Touch.
Scott
fitmybike.co.uk